Easter(复活节) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.  As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
【小题1】The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.

Easter(复活节    ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.

And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.

Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.

The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）.As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.

American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.

The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.

Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.

All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.

1.The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.

2.The word “culprit” ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.

3.According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because they_______

4.The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.

A. both are affected by 1ess snow          

B. both are affected by rising sea levels

C neither can find enough food     

D. neither can migrate to higher places

Easter(复活节)is still a great day for worship, candy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.

And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures are having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.

Take the Lower Keys Marsh rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer—it lives on the islands！—but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising sea levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0.6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9­meter rise would wipe out their habitat(栖息地)completely.

The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators(捕食者). As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies are being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.

American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the first of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7­8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate(迁移) to higher ground—but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat heats up.

The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.

Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.

All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.

36．The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to ________．

A．show the importance of Easter Day

B．introduce the issue about bunnies

C．remind people of Easter traditions

D．discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies

37．The word “culprit”(Paragraph 2)is closest in meaning to ________．

A．criminal  　B．judge  C．victim  D．producer

38．According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily discovered by predators because they ________．

A．are exposed to more skillful hunters

B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants

C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change

D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring

39．The problem faced by volcano rabbits and rock rabbits is that ________．

A．both are affected by less snow

B．both are affected by rising sea levels

C．neither can find enough food

D．neither can migrate to higher places

40．Which best describes the writer's tone in the passage?

A．Approving.  B．Concerned.

C．Enthusiastic.  D．Doubtful.

Don't blame genes for aging facial skin. A new study of twins suggests you can   1   those coarse(粗糙的) wrinkles, brown or pink spots, and dilated(膨胀的) blood vessels on too much time in the sun, smoking, and being overweight.

Because twins share genes, but may have  2  exposures to environmental factors, studying twins allows an, "opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility(敏感性)," Dr. Elma D. Baron, at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, and colleagues  3  in the latest issue of Archives of Dermatology.

Their analysis of environmental skin-damaging factors in 65 pairs of twins hints that skin aging is  4  more to environment and lifestyle than  5   factors.

But when it   6   skin cancer, the researchers say their findings support previous reports that   7  environment and genes affect skin cancer risk.

Baron's team   8   facial skin of 130 twins, 18 to 77 years old, who lived  9   in the northern Midwest and Eastern regions of the U.S. who were  10   the Twins Days Festival in Ohio in August 2002.

At this time, each of the twins also  11    reported how their skin burned or tanned  12    sunscreen(防晒霜), their weight, and their history of skin cancer, smoking, and alcohol drinking.

The study group   13   of 52 fraternal and 10 identical twin pairs, plus 3 pairs who were unsure of their twin status. Identical(同卵的) twins share all of their genes and fraternal twins share only about half.

From these data, the researchers  14  strong ties, outside of twin status, between smoking, older age, and being overweight, and having facial skin with evidence of environmental  15 

 16   contrast, sunscreen use and drinking alcohol appeared correlated with   17    skin damage.

Baron and colleagues say the current findings, which highlight ties between facial   18  and potentially avoidable  19   factors -- such as smoking, being overweight, and   20   overexposure to the sun's damaging rays -- may help motivate people to minimize these risky behaviors.

(    ) 1. A. blame                     B. owe                 C. take                 D. bring

(    ) 2. A. same                       B. different           C. similar             D. common

(    ) 3. A. explain                    B. confirm            C. declare             D. shout

(    ) 4. A. equal                             B. related              C. close                D. strict

(    ) 5. A. characteristic           B. personal           C. natural             D. genetic

(    ) 6. A. comes to                 B. talks of             C. refers to           D. gets to

(    ) 7. A. all                          B. neither             C. both                 D. either

(    ) 8. A. examined                B. checked            C. inspected          D. interviewed

(    ) 9. A. most                       B. usually             C. mostly              D. always

(    ) 10. A. joining                  B. representing      C. attending          D. remarking

(    ) 11. A. separately              B. lonely              C. commonly               D. truly

(    ) 12. A. with                             B. on                    C. in                    D. without

(    ) 13. A. consisted                      B. made up          C. contained         D. included

(    ) 14. A. documented           B. recorded           C. reported           D. noted

(    ) 15. A. damage                 B. exploration       C. protection         D. material

(    ) 16. A. In                         B. By                   C. As                    D. At

(    ) 17. A. lesser                    B. more                C. no                    D. fewer

(    ) 18. A. look                             B. aging                      C. expression               D. wrinkle

(    ) 19. A. environmental               B. genetic             C. emotional         D. psychological

(    ) 20. A. protected                      B. planned            C. unprotected       D. prevented

Don't blame genes for aging facial skin. A new study of twins suggests you can   1   those coarse(粗糙的) wrinkles, brown or pink spots, and dilated(膨胀的) blood vessels on too much time in the sun, smoking, and being overweight.

Because twins share genes, but may have  2  exposures to environmental factors, studying twins allows an, "opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility(敏感性)," Dr. Elma D. Baron, at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, and colleagues  3  in the latest issue of Archives of Dermatology.

Their analysis of environmental skin-damaging factors in 65 pairs of twins hints that skin aging is  4  more to environment and lifestyle than  5   factors.

But when it   6   skin cancer, the researchers say their findings support previous reports that   7  environment and genes affect skin cancer risk.

Baron's team   8   facial skin of 130 twins, 18 to 77 years old, who lived  9   in the northern Midwest and Eastern regions of the U.S. who were  10   the Twins Days Festival in Ohio in August 2002.

At this time, each of the twins also  11    reported how their skin burned or tanned  12    sunscreen(防晒霜), their weight, and their history of skin cancer, smoking, and alcohol drinking.

The study group   13   of 52 fraternal and 10 identical twin pairs, plus 3 pairs who were unsure of their twin status. Identical(同卵的) twins share all of their genes and fraternal twins share only about half.

From these data, the researchers  14  strong ties, outside of twin status, between smoking, older age, and being overweight, and having facial skin with evidence of environmental  15 

 16   contrast, sunscreen use and drinking alcohol appeared correlated with   17    skin damage.

Baron and colleagues say the current findings, which highlight ties between facial   18  and potentially avoidable  19   factors -- such as smoking, being overweight, and   20   overexposure to the sun's damaging rays -- may help motivate people to minimize these risky behaviors.

(    ) 1. A. blame                         B. owe                 C. take                 D. bring

(    ) 2. A. same                      B. different           C. similar             D. common

(    ) 3. A. explain                    B. confirm            C. declare             D. shout

(    ) 4. A. equal                             B. related              C. close               D. strict

(    ) 5. A. characteristic           B. personal           C. natural             D. genetic

(    ) 6. A. comes to                 B. talks of             C. refers to           D. gets to

(    ) 7. A. all                          B. neither             C. both                 D. either

(    ) 8. A. examined               B. checked            C. inspected          D. interviewed

(    ) 9. A. most                      B. usually             C. mostly              D. always

(    ) 10. A. joining                  B. representing      C. attending          D. remarking

(    ) 11. A. separately                  B. lonely              C. commonly               D. truly

(    ) 12. A. with                             B. on                    C. in                    D. without

(    ) 13. A. consisted                      B. made up         C. contained       D. included

(    ) 14. A. documented           B. recorded           C. reported           D. noted

(    ) 15. A. damage                 B. exploration       C. protection        D. material

(    ) 16. A. In                         B. By                   C. As                    D. At

(    ) 17. A. lesser                    B. more               C. no                    D. fewer

(    ) 18. A. look                             B. aging                      C. expression               D. wrinkle

(    ) 19. A. environmental               B. genetic             C. emotional        D. psychological

(    ) 20. A. protected                      B. planned            C. unprotected       D. prevented